Career Pivots Are Messier Than They Look

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Career pivots always sound better after they

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work out. You hear the story after someone left

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the job, started the business, changed industries,

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or finally went after the thing they've been

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thinking about for years. But then it sounds

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confident and intentional, like they knew exactly

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what they were doing the whole time. But when

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you're actually in the middle of it, it usually

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does not feel that clear. It feels messy. It

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feels uncertain. Sometimes it feels exciting,

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and sometimes it makes you question every decision

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you've ever made. I know because I have lived

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it and actually I'm still living it. When I left

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my CEO role, I knew I was ready for something

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different. I was excited about building my own

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business, speaking more, coaching women and helping

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companies in a different way. But that did not

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mean I had every piece figured out. I did not

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leave with a perfect five -year plan, a guaranteed

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pipeline of clients and total confidence every

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single day. There were days when I thought this

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is exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. And

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there were days when I thought maybe I should

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just go get another corporate job. I still think

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that sometimes. And this is the part we don't

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talk enough about. In my conversation with Trish

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Barber, author of Women Who Pivot, we talked

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about what a career pivot really looks like for

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women, whether the change is your choice or something

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that was forced on you. It's not one brave decision,

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and then suddenly everything falls into place.

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It's a process. You are learning, adjusting,

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talking to people, trying new things, and sometimes

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changing your mind along the way. So if you're

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thinking about making a change or you're already

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in the middle of one, here are a few things I

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want you to take away from this conversation.

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Let's get into it. The first is to pay attention

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to what is draining you. Now, not every bad week

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means you need to quit your job. We all have

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hard seasons. We have demanding projects or frustrating

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coworkers, difficult bosses, and times when work

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and life are both asking just way too much from

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us. But there is a difference between a rough

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season and a situation that no longer is right

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for you. Maybe you're no longer learning. Maybe

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your health is affected. Maybe you are missing

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too much of your life. Maybe you keep waiting

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for an opportunity that is clearly not coming.

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Or maybe you just know deep down that you are

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no longer supposed to be there. Usually we know

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before we're really ready to admit it. So here's

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something simple you can do. For the next two

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weeks, pay attention to your energy. At the end

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of the day, write down what energized you and

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what drained you. Don't make it complicated.

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Just look for patterns. Because sometimes the

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question is not, do I hate my job? The better

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question is, is this still the right fit for

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the person I'm becoming? The second thing is

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to separate your identity from your title. This

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one was hard for me. When you spend years building

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a career, earning promotions, and becoming known

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for a certain role, it's easy to start believing

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that title is the value. When I left a visible

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CEO role, I definitely had moments of wondering

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who I was without the company and without the

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title attached to my name. Would people still

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take my calls? Would they still see me in the

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same way? Was all of my credibility tied to that

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position? But your title is not the full story.

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Your experience is still yours. Your judgment

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is still yours. Relationships, leadership ability,

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instincts, and problem -solving skills do not

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disappear because the business card changes.

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So instead of focusing only on the title you

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had, think about what people actually rely on

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you for. What do people always ask your help

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with? What do you do well that may feel natural

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to you but is incredibly valuable to someone

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else? What compliments have you heard throughout

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your entire career? Maybe you make complicated

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things simple. Maybe you organize chaos or build

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trust quickly. Maybe you see the strategy before

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everyone else does. This is the value you carry

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into whatever comes next. The third takeaway

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is to stop treating your pivot like a final exam

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where you are supposed to know every answer before

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you begin. This is where I had to learn some

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patience, which is not exactly my favorite thing.

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I wanted to decide what I was doing and then

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immediately have the business model, the clients,

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the messaging, and the revenue all lined up.

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And guess what? That's not how it worked. There

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was trial and error. Some things gained traction.

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Some things did not. Some ideas sounded great,

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but they actually were not a fit. Other opportunities

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showed up that I had not expected or planned

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for. That does not mean the pivot is failing.

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It means you were learning. Trish talked about

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this like customer discovery. You have to understand

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what people need, what problems they are trying

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to solve, and where your experience can actually

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help. So get out of your own head and go talk

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to people. Talk to someone who works in the industry

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you're considering. Talk to someone who's already

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made a similar move. Or maybe someone who knows

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your strengths well. And do not just ask, do

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you think I should quit? Ask better questions.

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What problems are companies in this space trying

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to solve? What skills are most valuable? What

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do people misunderstand about this kind of work?

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And where do you see my experience transferring?

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You are not asking them to make the decision

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for you. You are gathering information so you

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can make a better decision for yourself. The

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fourth takeaway is to own your story before other

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people write it for you. This matters whether

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you chose to leave or whether the decision was

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made for you. If you were laid off, reorganized

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out of a role or pushed into a change you didn't

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want, you're allowed to feel hurt, frustrated

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or angry. This is real. But when you start talking

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about what comes next, You need a story that

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is confident and forward -looking. Trish made

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a great point in our conversation. Your pivot

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story should not sound wounded. This does not

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mean you have to pretend everything is perfect.

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It means you do not have to lead with the most

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painful part. Instead of saying, I lost my job,

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but I have no idea what I'm doing, you could

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say, after several years in marketing, I'm exploring

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opportunities where I can use my experience in

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community engagement, partnerships, and relationship

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building. Same person. Same situation, completely

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different energy. Your story should answer two

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things. What experiences are you bringing with

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you and what are you moving toward? And that

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story can evolve. Mine definitely has. But you

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need language that helps people understand where

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you're going and how they may be able to help.

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The last takeaway is one of my favorites from

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the episode. Build a personal advisory board.

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I usually call this your circle, but I love Trish's

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language because it makes it feel even more intentional.

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You should not try to navigate a major career

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change alone, and you do not need one perfect

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mentor who can give you all the answers. You

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need different people for different reasons.

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You need someone who will tell you the truth,

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even when it's what you don't want to hear. You

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need someone who reminds you what you are capable

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of, even when your confidence takes a hit. And

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you need someone who can connect you to people

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or opportunities you may not know about. You

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also need people with different perspectives,

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different ages, industries, and experiences.

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The person who gives you the best advice may

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not even have more experience than you. They

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may simply have different experience. So think

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about three people. Who will challenge you? Who

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will encourage you? Who will expand your thinking

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or your network? Then reach out. And be specific.

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Do not send the vague, I would love to pick your

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brain message. Tell them what you're considering

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and why you would value their perspective. People

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are often willing to help, but they need to know

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what you actually need. Here's the bottom line.

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You do not have to know exactly how your pivot

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will end before you begin. You need enough of

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clarity to take the next step. Pay attention

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to what's draining you. Get clear on the value

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you bring beyond your title. Talk to people.

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Own your story and build the circle that will

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help you move forward. A pivot does not have

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to be perfectly planned or every right move,

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but you cannot just leave something behind and

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hope the next thing figures itself out. You have

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to actively build what comes next. If you have

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not listened to Trisha's full episode, I strongly

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encourage you to do so. And until next time,

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stay loud and stay lifted.